Annoying front suspension noise

[Nbnate]

I live on a long gravel driveway and the bumping and rattling in the front end got so annoying I replaced the front strut mounts and bearing's assuming it would take the noises away ,but they are still there even hitting bumps in the road ...is that normal for these cars if not have any ideas?

Thanks

 

[Rrusse11]

Control arm bushings and ball joints, sway bar end links.

 

[Nevada_TDI]

If you see M. Rrusse11's other posts, he discusses all the suspension mods he has done and he has greatly improved his car's handling characteristics. He and many others are quite adamant regarding the changing of all the "little stuff" first; bushings, ball joints and sway bar end links. Without changing the "little stuff" first, throwing money at the other suspension parts will likely not give you the results you seek.

 

[hey_allen]

I'm not going to say that it is always going to be the same stuff, but my car had all the parts that Rrusse11 mentioned, needing attention.

I hate to say it, but I went round and round chasing a clunking noise in my front end, and missed the sway-bar end links for the longest time. The LCA trailing bushings were definitely shot, and the ball joints were loose, but while some of the clunk went away with each of those, there was still a nasty one that I couldn't chase down.

I finally remembered that I had the end links sitting in the back seat and went ahead and installed them one day, and spent the next week kicking myself for not installing them 6 months earlier, when I initially purchased them.

 

[AnotherPerson]

I had a slight clunk on rare occasion on mine. I think it’s down to inner tie rods for me. Everything else already got replaced.


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[pdq import repair]

Sway bar links and bushings first, unless something looks obviously amiss. Not just VW either, we replace many on Honda, Toyota, etc.

 

[Rrusse11]

Gents,

Thanks for the affirmations. I owe a great deal of my understanding of the above to Dwayne, my local guru, allowing me to watch him work and ask dumb questions. He has the patience to explain it, thoroughly and in detail. "See this, as you turn the wheel, this is what's wearing."

Ahhhhh, NOW I get it. My "02 Golf was pretty much all original, not abused and 123k. Rubber gets tired. Joints get worn. Do the basics first. Dwayne is a stickler for OEM, and he's been working on older VWs for 30yrs. Stay away from poly is his recommendation, you end up hardening the give points too much,
and then stuff breaks. Especially on the rough roads this neck of the woods. OEM will last a long time and give great service. Rather than messing with bushings he just replaced the whole lower control arms.

Then do springs and struts and swaybars and tires. Go for power
AFTER you've got all that right. Most do it the other way round.

My $.02